Refuse truck



Dec. 14, 1943. c. c. OTTOSON REFUSE TRUCK Y Filed Sept. 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CARL C. OTTOSON BY ATTORNEY Dec. 1 4,- 1943. c. c. OTTOSON REFUSE TRUCK Filed Sept. 30, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CARL c. OTTOSON BY fi ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 14, 1943 REFUSE TRUCK Carl C. Ottoson, West Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y.

Application September 30, 1942, Serial No. 460,205

Claims.

My invention relates to a refuse truck and more particularly to improvements on certain features of a refuse truck of the general type shown, for example, in Kurtz and Ottoson patent, No. 2,224,789, December 10, 1940.

In the refuse truck of the general type referred to, the truck body at the inner side is provided with drive sprockets for endless chains carrying flights for conducting refuse. The endless chains, in the preferred form, extend generally longitudinally in the upper part of the truck body and downwardly at the rear where the refuse is loaded through a boot or the like. The chains are trained over suitable guiding means where necessary and are driven usually by sprockets in the upper part of the truck body adjacent the front end thereof. The chains may be adjusted for tautness by moving the drive sprockets forwardly or rearwardly.

City refuse comprises a miscellaneous array of debris and detritus, often including rope, rags, wire, ribbons of metal, and the like. It has been found that such stringy material carried into the truck body in the normal course of operation of the refuse conducting means, including the endless chains, often wraps around the driving shaft or the driving sprockets or the hubs thereof and the stringy material often b..- comes so intertwined, wrapped and wedged between the sprockets and the truck body that it is necessary to cut it out with a blow torch.

t is the principal object of my invention to provide improved means for preventing the wrapping and wedging of stringy material about the sprocket driving shaft or sprocket driving an endless chain or the like in a refuse truck.

Other minor objects will be hereinafter pointed out or will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings which'show, for illustrative purposes, only, a preferred form of the invention- Fig. l is a fragmentary View of a refuse truck of the type heretofore mentioned;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of parts shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating features of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of an inner plate part illustrating a part of the invention;

Fig. 4 is an axial View of a chain sprocket having a flange to interfit with the circular flange illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the upper part of the truck body, a section being taken substantially centrally of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the form shown, the truck body 5 is provided with a downwardly extending rear or tailgate portion 6 having a loading boot or the like positioned for easy deposit of refuse from-garbage cans and the like. Conducting flights 8-3, carried by endless chains 9--9, pass downwardly into the boot I and then upwardly along the inclined tail-gate portion so as to carry refuse upwardly and into the truck body. As the truck body fills, the refuse tends to be scraped forwardly by the flights 8 so as to fill the truck body substantially full. Chains 99 in the downward extension and in other parts of the truck body run over suitable guides, wheels or sprockets (not shown herein). The chains are driven by sprockets l0lll, which in the form shown are mounted upon a sprocket shaft H in the upper forward end of the truck body. 'My invention is centered about the drive sprocket end of the endless chain system.

In the preferred form the sprocket shaft ll, together with the sprockets IE3, is mounted for adjusting movement forwardly and rearwardly so that the chain may be tightened or loosened as required. In the form illustrated, the general bearing means for the shaft may include a base or plate I2 which may be slidably mounted along the outer surface of the truck body it and guided in its forward and rearward movement on suitable upper and lower guides i i-i l welded or otherwise secured to the truck body. At the inner side of the truck body, there may be a second base or plate I5 between which plate l5 and base or plate l2 the side l3 of the truck body is snugly and slidably received so as to form a relatively tight joint. The plates l2 and Hi may be secured together as by means of bolts l6 and the truck body is slotted for the bolts, as shown at H, so as to permit forward and rearward adjustment of the plates.

A part of the shaft bearing system, such as the outer plate l2, carries a shaft bearing it which may be formed as a part of the general driving assembly 19. The general driving assembly preferably includes a hydraulic motor 28 and driving means such as a worm and worm wheel (not shown) for driving the shaft ll. The driving assembly and bearing it may be rigidly secured to a part such as the plate l2, as by means of securing bolts or the like 2i (Fig. 2). At the side of the truck body opposite the driving means l9, the general bearing construction may be the same as or similar to that heretofore described. At such opposite side, however, there need be no driving means since the sprocket at such side is driven by the shaft H, as will be understood.

The truck body is slotted as at I? for the shaft II and the shaft and its sprockets and other parts carried therewith may be readily adjusted by tension members 22-22, which may be rigidly secured to a part of the truck body as by means of the nuts 23. The free ends of the tension members may pass through apertures in abutments such as the angle irons 24, welded or otherwise secured, say, to the outer plate I2. Nuts 2525 on the threaded end of each tension member may serve. as adjusting an'dlock nuts for ready adjustmentand secure holding of the drive shaft and associated parts. Preferably, the tension members 22 22 are in direct line with the path of adjustment of the shaft I! so that-the adjusting and holding stresses will be transmit ted directly along the lengths of the; tension members 22.

of said truck body on each inner side having a circular laterally extending flange extending concentrically about said shaft and into close prox- As has been heretofore indicated, stringy material carried along by the flights 8 will often be carried up to a point adjacent the sprockets.

Such stringy material is prevented from wrapping around the central" portion or the shaft H by means of the fixed guard 26mor'e fully described in' the aforesaid patent; in order to prevent such stringy'ma enei from wrapping around the outer portion of the shaft; or more par ticularly as shown in the drawings about the sprocket hub 21, Iprovi'de improved guard means which will preferablyremain stationary and thus either prevent or inhibit the Wrapping of stringy material about any part of the'sprocket and particularly willp'revent stringy material from becoming wedged between the inner side of the truck body and the adjacent "side of the sprocket.

'In the form shown, apart of the general bear-.

ing structure (in this casethe inner plate is provided with a circular, laterally extending flange v28 which preferably extends up quite close to the adjacent side'of the sprocket l0 and which is preferably located radially outwardly in the general zo'ne ofthe periphery of the sprocket; The sprocket itself is preferably provided with a circular, laterally extending flange 29, which extends oppositely to the flange 28 and lies at the inner side thereof and in close proximity thereto. The flange .29, in the form shown, is a true flange but obviously couldbethe' periphery of a solid projecting boss. I j Now, when the sprocket turns, if wire or other stringy materialshould get between the sprocket and the adjacent inner side of the truck body, it would encounter the fixed flange 28 and'there would be little or no tendenc'yto wraparound such a fixed flange; Furthermore, such stringy material as does encounter the fixed flange 28 would likely-be dragged 'overjth'e flange by the chain or sprocket 'a'nddropinto the body of the truck. In order to'furtherdisoourage the carrying of stringy material to the sprockets, I- may provide "an additionalfixed guard Bilon theinside of the truck body or even on the'i'nner' platelfi so as to deflect all types of refuse away from the sprockets. v j My improved guard mfieanshas been found in practice to substantially eliminate the wrapping of wire and stringy material about the sprocket hub or sprocket shaft between the inside of the body and the sprocket; Thus a diflicult problem has been *solved and much time, effort, and expense due to damage and breakage" have been saved, where my improved guard has been irrstalled.

While the invention'has beendescribed in con -1. In a refuse truck, a truckbody, a sprocket imity to the adjacent side of each of said sprockets, for the purpose described.

2. In a refuse truck, a truck body, a sprocket shaft insaid truck body, a sprocket mounted on said sprocket shaft adjacent each of the inner opposite sides of said truck body, means on the outside of said truckbody for driving said sprocket shaft "and 'sprokts, .chai'ns trained over said sprockets, flightsmovableby said chain, a part of said truck body'on each side having a circular lat-- erally extending 'fian'ge'extendin into close proximity to the side of each of said sprockets, each of said sprockets having a circular flange extending laterally therefrom and lying in close proximity to and at the inner side of the adjacent circular'iiange on said part of said truck body, for the purpose described.

3. In a refuse truck, a truck body, adjustable bearing means carried by said truck body and adjustable thereon in a direction transversely of the axis of said bearing means, sprocket means supported by said adjustable bearing means, said sprocket means including a sprocket in and adjacent to the inner side of said truck body, an endless chain trained over said sprocket means and driven thereby, flights driven bysaid endles s chain, a circular inwardly directed flange on saidadjustable'bearing means movable unitarily therewith and extending toward and into proximity'to the adjacent side of said sprocket means at a zone radiallynear the periphery thereof.

4. In a refuse truck, a truckbody, a sprocket shaft injsaid truck body and extending to the outside thereof, bearing means for said shaft, means f 0r sli-dably mounting said bearing means on said truck body whereby said shaft carried by said bearing means may be moved to various positions of adjustment in a direction transversely of said shaft, a tension member connecting a part. of said truck body and said bearing means for holdingthelatter and said shaft in adjusted position on said truck body,'sprocket means at the inner side of said body, endless chain means trained over said sprocket means, and flights driven by said endless chain means.

5. In a refuse truck, a truck body, a shaft in said truck body and extending to the outside thereof, bearing means for said shaft including a plate at the outer side of said truck body, longitudinally extendingguide means for said plate for movably holding the sarnawhereby said plate may be adjusted to variousposition s, means for holding said plate inadjusted position, a second plate at the inner side ofsaidtrudkbody, said two platesbein'g secured together, said truck body being slotted for the securing means, a sprocket on said shaft at the inner sideof said truck body, said plate at the inner side of said truck body and said sprocket having oppositely directedoven lapping flanges lying in close proximity to'eac'h other, theflangeon said plate extendingin close proximity to'said sprocket; f

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